Sit. Stay. Read.
obsessed with dogs
OK, Newtie. I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, Of course. Of course you’re late writing my letter. I’m amazed you’re even writing one at all. How many years have you missed, hmmmm? I could argue that I’m writing this Gotcha Day letter a little early! Looking back, you appeared at John’s Louisiana apartment end of …
Yowling. That’s the only word I can think to describe it. Meowing is close, but it doesn’t have the right edge, the sharpness. Or, maybe it’s more of a mournful holler? Regardless: Every single night without fail for about six weeks now, Newtie yowls. She goes upstairs while we’re downstairs–it’s only ever if we’re on …
Have you ever thought about taking your indoor cat outside? Have you ever wondered how to train your cat to walk on a leash? This is the foundation for outdoor safety for indoor cats. I do want to note: The purpose of this post isn’t to argue that I think it’s best for cats to …
If I had written this post just a few days ago, I would’ve had a very different story to tell. Luckily, I ran out of time and it took these few extra days because there’s been a twist. First off, you guys are so sweet. So many people have asked how Newt is doing with …
Last night, Violet thumped her legs in her crib on and off all night long. She wasn’t awake–at least, not until 4 am–but she spent the entire night lifting her chubby little legs and slamming them down. In her sleep. All night. See, she’s still sleeping in the little crib in our room. SIDS-prevention recommendations …
Over the years, people have told us that we treat Newt like a dog. Even a vet said that to us once… to our surprise. What does that mean? Well, the first thing is that we had her microchipped! That’s what elicited that vet’s comment. Apparently it’s rare for a cat to be chipped. (But… …
Step 1: Test out 900 different types of wholesome, protein-rich treats to find one that will motivate your cat. End up at squeeze cheese. Step 2: Wait until she’s in the mood for squeeze cheese and NOT in the mood for swiping at you. Step 3: Train your cat for the 12-second window every few …
A cat is easy to love. They’re cute. They’re so cute with soft, fluffy fur and big, beautiful eyes. They’re funny. They’re fun to watch because of how funny they can be: leaping, twisting, turning, crouching, wiggling, pouncing… all at invisible prey. They’re champion snugglers. How can you do anything but love a fur ball who …
This post is {technically} the 1,000th post on my little blog! I say {technically} because, well, technically there were a whole bunch more before I had a backup system in place. And, as usually happens when there’s no backup system in place, I lost a whole bunch of posts–some in draft form, some published–during a bizarre …
You guys, my cat is weird. I know this to be true because every time I find myself talking to other people with cats, my experiences are vastly different. We were in the pet store the other day chatting with this woman who said her cats are so picky that she buys all this food …
One. Between Emmett and Lucas, someone’s going to the vet nearly every week for a checkup or blood test. I dutifully schedule tech appointments at the same time to get Newt’s nails trimmed. And every time I get there, I have to tell them to cancel it because I, once again, couldn’t get her in …
I’ve been thinking about some of the quirkiness that goes on around here related to specific sounds. There’s a lot. An awful lot. I’m hoping we’re not the only one with these noise-induced quirks… Of course, there’s the sound of the UPS truck rumbling down the street. As soon as we hear that, John and I …
Two years ago this week, the boys and I arrived in Louisiana. So, we’ve been back to Indiana just a bit shy of a year. My, how time flies. Anyway, two years ago right now, I was obsessing over how to get the dogs and Newt integrated. I wrote this whole post about the Newt Plan: …
We have this joke. Yes, it’s a smidge dark, but it works. Any time we’re late getting home – past their normal dinnertime – we joke that Emmett’s probably buttering up Newt, throwing on a dash of salt and pepper, and chowing down. Today, we spent hours stuck at the license branch (why this post …
I’ve gotten this question twice: “How the heck does Newt get to eat her food with all the dogs in the house?” I figured I’d share what works for our multi-species household, though this is just what works for us and these unique little snowflakes. I suspect that this question comes, in part, because many people …
Hang with us, dog buddies! Today is a post about our feline friends, inspired by something Newt has been doing almost daily: wool sucking and kneading. As you know, I’m a cat novice. Newt is the first cat I’ve ever shared a home with, so it’s been a huge learning curve. Everything she does is …
We’ve been playing a good bit of Mario lately. It has captured someone else’s attention, too… I can just imagine all the possible outcomes of this situation…
“Lady, I don’t want to alarm you, but I think something is under there.” “Ohmigosh! Look! There IS something under there! But what could it be? Stay calm. I’ll figure it out.” “Can I walk on it? Yep.” “Can I poke at it? Sure can.” “What… is… it?” “I know! I’ll be brave. I’ll stick …
I am totally accustomed to the dogs begging for whatever I’m eating. I can tune them out completely or send them to their beds. Newt, on the other hand, jumps up and sticks her paw in my food before I even see her coming. (It reminds me a bit of this commercial.) She has figured out …
A solid 100% of the times that I pick Newt up, she bites me. When she sits on my desk – and I dare to type – she bites me. If she’s on the kitchen counter or on the table and I reach out to, say, answer my phone, she bites me. She does not …
Working from home with three dogs and a cat provides some challenges. For example, I’m convinced that the UPS man waits outside my house until the moment I get on the telephone – then he rings the doorbell, sending the boys into a frenzy. When I’m working on stories for pet publications, it’s okay. Mostly, …
Well, it happened. Newt maimed one of the boys. (OK. OK. Not maimed. Scratched.) And, of course, it was Lucas. We don’t know what happened. Everyone was hanging out, there was a scuffle, then his ear was bleeding. Frankly, I’m astounded that it took this long for it to happen. But what’s even more astounding about …
A long time ago, before Cooper, I wrote a review of the Neater Feeder. At that time, it worked perfectly for us. Eventually, with the arrival of Coop and the need for both Cooper and Emmett to eat from slow-down-feeders, the Neater Feeder became our watering hole. It works well because I can keep two …
7 things made much more difficult with a cat: Tying your shoes Making the bed Packing Cooking Typing Sleeping Putting laundry away But… then there’s this: And this: And – swoon – this: Oh, and this: But best of all: Who knew I was a cat lady… 🙂
